The Evolution of the Telephone
Sam Goddard - published by Ezine Articles (The text below has been modified to better suit the exam)
1. Alexander Graham Bell most likely had no idea that he had discovered what would eventually change the world in more ways than could be imagined. The technology at the origin of telephones has led to many more inventions in the telecommunications field that keep people in touch and connected around the world. On March 10, 1876 Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first speech using electricity. From that day forward, the telephone system changed every aspect of life. Although it did not immediately change the world, it set communication on a path that would alter its future.
2. The initial lack of acceptance of Mr. Bell's discovery was due to the telegraph being the dominant form of communication and it had been around for over 50 years. This voice traveling across electrical lines that Mr. Bell was proposing was a new and daunting discovery. In the late 1870's Mr. Bell took his public telephone demonstrations on the road in an attempt to raise awareness and public finance for the project. Mr. Bell presented the telephone as a broadcasting system. However, he wasn't the only person working on ideas that would have an impact on telephone technology. Thomas Edison invented the first transmitter and receiver that would be practical for commercial use. He had already invented a type of multiplexing that allowed messages to be sent in opposite directions simultaneously.
3. In the 1880's the switchboard came on board. During this time, there was no dialing, no signaling system, and no electronic switches. Callers would crank the handle and speak with an operator who would then connect them to their party so that they could have their conversation. This type of system had no ringer to alert of incoming calls and no privacy due to the operator being the middle man holding the call together. By 1946 the number of telephone callers made switchboard operators' jobs too much for people alone to handle. Nearly a quarter of a million operators were working for AT&T in 1946 but that number would decrease significantly with the widespread implementation of automatic call switching.
4. Although this switching system was invented in 1889, it was not until 1914 that it was installed on a large-scale basis in New Jersey. Then, it wasn't until 1976 that the first computerized switch was put into action and by 1982 almost half of all telephone calls were switched electronically. Bell’s patent ran out at the turn of the century and approximately 6000 independent phone companies opened up shop.
Which of the alternatives below best replaces the expression “most likely” (first paragraph)?
